I do not think Savage make a youth model currently. I would go with the Remington Model 7. I am planning on getting one for my daughter shortly, She is rather petite so I will be getting a wood stock and cut it down to fit her. I then plan to purchase an aftermarket stock, so I can swap it back to fit me or for resale later. While I am a huge fan of the 7-08 I will probably go 243 over the 260 for no other reason than I already have dies for it.